Mafia 3 developer Hangar 13 suffers layoffs

2K Games said the staffing cuts were necessary to ensure its long-term plans.

2K Games has confirmed with Kotaku that Mafia 3 studio Hangar 13 has laid off a portion of its staff. Numbers weren't revealed, but the Kotaku report describes the cuts as "significant."

"2K can confirm that there have been staff reductions at Hangar 13 in order to ensure that the studio’s resources are properly aligned with its long-term development plans," a rep said. "These reductions will not influence 2K’s ability to create and deliver its products that are currently in development. We never take these matters lightly, and are working with the affected employees to support them and explore potential opportunities throughout our organization."

Mafia 3 moved the series away from its classic Mafia roots and into the racism-riddled Louisiana of the 1960s. "The choice to tackle a difficult period in American history was a bold, subversive move," we said in our review, which also praised the game's world-building. Unfortunately, the gameplay was "rote, unambitious, and poorly designed," with too much repetition and not enough depth.

Despite those shortcomings, Take-Two Interactive touted the game as a success, noting in its fiscal year 2017 second-quarter report that Mafia 3 "is the fastest-selling game in 2K’s history, generating week one sell-in of more than 4.5 million units." The most recent quarterly report, released last week, also cites the launch of Mafia 3 as part of the reason that quarterly revenues were down by nearly $100 million compared to the previous year.